Lebanese Demand End to Sectarian System

TEHRAN, March 21 (ICANA) – Thousands of people once again hit the streets calling for an end to Lebanon's political sectarian system.

Monday, March 21, 2011 2:56:28 PM

This time, the mostly young protesters, marched from Beirut's Acrafiyeh area to the Interior Ministry building, chanting slogans against the current power-sharing system.

The governmental system in Lebanon is based on a power-sharing agreement, which maintains a balance between the 18 religious sects.

Under the agreement, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the post of prime minister goes to a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament is a Shiite Muslim.

However, some believe the system has a number of shortcomings, which must be addressed to prevent prolonged political disputes.

However, some analysts think that the protesters are mistaken in their criticism of the power-sharing system as it seems to have worked well in other countries.

Some demonstrators have other concerns. Some placards read: people need to eat, and prices are going up.

Thousands of people from all walks of life including religious figures and former politicians chanted the famous slogan that has plagued leaders from throughout the region: the people want to end the system. These protestors here wan to put an end to the decades of old sectarian system they feel is to blame for all of Lebanon's problems.